Plus, thoughts on Toronto FC, and my picks for top matches this weekend

Year one of the Swiss-style league portion of the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League is certainly a resounding success.

At least in the eyes of this lifelong fan, amateur player, youth development coach, and local club vice president.

Okay, so adding all the reasons my opinion counts is probably overkill, but establishing credibility is key with so many nonsensical, unscrupulous bloggers clogging up the sphere.

Why is it a resounding success? Let’s start with the excitement of the final matchday, where each league had every match kick-off at the same time.

World Cup fans will note this has long been a practice at the FIFA event on the last match day of the group stage.

With 36 clubs in each league vying for the top 24 spots to advance past the first hurdle, and many still in contention for top eight finishes that came with an automatic round of 16 berth, the final day was a flurry of fantastic football theatre.

When did you ever see Champions League teams on the final day of a group stage gathered on the pitch with a phone, watching the final moments of other matches to determine their fate?

When was the last time you felt Manchester City was in danger of missing the knockout rounds going into the final day? Their reward for sneaking into the playoffs is a home-and-away tie with Real Madrid – by far the top rated match-up of the next round.

Or even PSG, who were also in danger of missing the knockout rounds, but made it through with a result on the last day.

Well, when you play eight different clubs (four home, four away), rather than only three in a home and away set-up, these types of situations happen.

We should all feel for Dinamo Zagreb, who despite a 2-1 home win over AC Milan, fell short of the playoff round by goal differential. Club Brugge snagged the last spot with a -3, while Zagreb was at -7.

Other notables from the Champions League being knocked out completely from European competition (another great part of the new format is no more lucky losers) include Stuttgart, Bologna Shaktar Donetsk, Leipzig, and Girona.

In the Europa League, perennial European contenders AS Roma were in danger of missing out as well. They needed a 2-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt to guarantee passage through. They now have to face a strong Porto side home and away in the playoffs, but at least they’re through (and on a solid tear in all competitions).

Still, clubs like Braga, Hoffenheim, and Beşiktaş all find themselves on the outside and done with their European journey.

The Conference League, as mentioned in last week’s column, pretty much went as planned with no one of note missing the next round.

Another noteworthy aspect of this year’s league play is which countries have the most teams left in the continental competitions (a factor in gaining points and earning bonus spots for their domestic leagues).

England leads the way with all 7 of their UEFA representatives safely navigating the league stage. They’re followed by Italia with 7 of 8, Spain with 6 of 7, and then four nations with 5 each (Belgium, Germany, France, and the Netherlands).

Belgium saw all 5 of their clubs go through, while Germany had three eliminated in the league stage.

In terms of the country coefficients from this season, which matches with the overall coefficients from the past several years, the order is England, Italia, and Spain. The top two-point earners from this year gain extra Champions League spots in 2025/26.

England has a solid lead in first, but the battle for second is tight between the Southern European powers.

For all these reasons, plus the upsets, near upsets, and fantastic matches, the new look UEFA competitions must be considered a success.

I’m looking forward to the next rounds more than ever!

Toronto FC

Breathe everyone. Just breathe.

Every single post in the Toronto FC blogosphere is met with either extreme pessimism (it’s a Toronto sports thing) or various degrees of apathy (also a Toronto sports thing).

I’m staying positive, as I’m known to do until my heart is torn from my chest by a mid-season losing streak, a late season melt down, or knowing that anybody but (pick your poison) will do.

Still, the start of the season where everyone begins tied is no time for despair. It may be the only time we have to hope for a year of health, strong play, great goals, and even a playoff berth.

There is plenty to like about Coach Robin Fraser, the overall composition of the team, and the idea that he’ll be using the players (particularly Federico Bernadeschi) in the right way this year.

Sure, there is a lack of movement on the transfer front that has people biting their nails, but I would rather see a slow, methodical approach that garners some real gems than doing deals simply to appease a fan base.

On the plus side, the one main transfer TFC did bring in, Theo Corbeanu, scored in their 1-1 friendly draw against Norway’s Fredrikstad FK in Marabella, Spain.

Let’s give the club a chance to do their thing before joining the hordes of naysayers.

Matches of the Weekend

Serie A offers up a pair of doozies on Sunday, February 2 with the Derby della Madonnina between Inter and AC Milan kicking off at noon, followed by AS Roma hosting league leaders Napoli at the Olimpico.

Second place Inter is only three points behind Napoli, who don’t have European competition worries this season. Meanwhile, Milan is in seventh and climbing, with a Supercoppa Italiana final win over their derby rivals already in hand this season.

In Rome, the hosts are on a strong run after a horrific start to the campaign. Their third coach this season, a Roman talisman in his own right, Claudio Ranieri has the ship going in the right direction on all fronts. They have 6 wins, 2 draws, and only 1 loss in their last 9 matches.

Meanwhile, Napoli has seven straight wins and will be looking to add another as they attempt to win a second Scudetto in three years. Former Roma striker Romelu Lukaku is leading the line for Antonio Conte’s side and in fine form (9 goals, 6 assists in 20 matches so far this season).

The only other match of note this weekend takes place in the Premier League as Arsenal host Man City (Sunday, Feb. 2 at 11 a.m.).

All Serie A and EPL matches are available on FuboTV Canada.

That’s it for me this week! Ciao for Now!

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